


The Setting Sun

by sleep_incarnate



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Blood, Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-05
Updated: 2017-07-05
Packaged: 2018-11-23 13:59:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11403870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleep_incarnate/pseuds/sleep_incarnate
Summary: In the last defense of Nohr, Soleil worries about her parents' safety and runs to check on them.





	The Setting Sun

**Author's Note:**

> Man angst is kinda hard for me to write. Still, I didn't really see many people play with this idea, so I did what anyone else would do: I did it myself. Enjoy!

Soleil’s room is cold and quiet as she rests on her bed, trying her best to simply relax. So many thoughts are flying through her head, the most prevalent being that of her parents. Even if she was younger, Soleil wasn’t a fool; when news of the Hoshidan invasion reaching the front gates came, she knew her parents would be off to defend their country at any cost.

In the time leading up to their call, her parents reassured her that no matter what, they’d keep her safe and stay by her side once the fight was over. She kept that belief as she watched her parents leave her in their quarters while they made the trek to Nohrian throne’s last defense. Getting sucked into their confidence, Soleil had expected a quick battle to halt the Hoshidan advance, but as time went on, she grew more and more anxious. In the distance, the sounds of metal clanging and faint groans of pain could be heard.

The retainer quarters were a ways away from the throne room, but the castle carried sounds incredibly well, leading to Soleil’s worsening anxiety. She tried anything to tune out the terrible noises, but to no avail. No amount of adjusting her headband or cleaning the room could help quiet the worries that blared in her head. But then the sounds stopped. The clanging had halted and not a voice could be heard. A joyful, foreign cry of victory could be heard, but it only brought fear to the blue haired girl. Still she waited, keeping the optimism her parents had raised her to have. They would come back. They’d come back and hug her and tell her that they were happy to see she was still well. So Soleil waited on her bed, kicking her legs and trying her best to hold a smile.

Many hours passed, and Soleil’s sunny optimism was turning to a darker dread. The young girl kept telling herself that her parents were just getting healing. They’d be back and better than ever! But as she lay on the soft bed, staring at the stone ceiling, Soleil grew impatient. If her parents couldn’t come to her, she’d just go to them! With a hope in her heart and a smile on her face, Soleil dashed out to the hallway, sprinting to the castle’s medical wing.

The sole sound in the hallway was her footsteps, the echo dusting the walls as Soleil hurried onward. Her parents were just recovering or helping others heal, that was it. They were fine! They were always fine after all! Like the time they came back from the opera house or the Hoshidan border. They were strong soldiers under Nohr’s high prince, so they’d always be ok! Soleil soon came face to face with the door to her parent’s assigned post. Just beyond was the hallway to the medical wing. All she had to do was carry her winded body a bit further. She’d find them wrapped in bandages, safe from the invaders. When she shoved open the jammed door, the cutting stench of iron hit her like a carriage.

Slowly stepping in the hall, Soleil saw the cause of the door’s resistance: bodies. Nohrian bodies. She put a hand to her mouth and tried not to linger on the cold bodies for too long. She could hear more fighting past the throne room’s door, so she made a mad dash for the medical wing’s door. But as she picked up her pace, she could see streaks of red with the odd splatter scattered near them. A small scrap of padded armor was near the now dried marks. Soleil slowed down as she neared the corner and spotted more dark streaks. These were thicker, with even more drops of red to either side. It took all of Soleil’s willpower to turn that corner, but she wished she never had when she saw what blocked her path.

White and red were two colors Soleil found oddly cute growing up. The vibrant color went well with a lot, and Soleil always loved seeing new combinations. Red and black, red and purple, red and grey: so many options to choose from! But when she turned that corner, she learned to hate such palettes. Laying with their heads leaned on each other, smiles plastered on their faces, were Soleil’s parents. They looked so peaceful and were it not for the surrounding scene, Soleil would think they were just sleeping. Slowly, the young girl stepped closer and closer to her parents before kneeling down in front of them. She didn’t feel sad, no tears were coming. Nothing. Soleil felt empty. 

“Oh….Soleil. Is that you?”

Soleil nearly jumped from the sudden voice. Her mother had noticed her. Her normal pigtails were disheveled, with one untied as the ribbon lay on the floor. The once grand white and gold armor was dented and broken, stained red with blood. Peri’s normally covered eye seemed to stay closed, and Soleil didn’t want to know why. “Soleil, I’m….sorry mommy didn’t win. I couldn’t be a good mommy for you.” 

Her voice was so weak and pained as Soleil held her mother’s hand. “No you’re fine Mom. You’re fine! All you need is a….a staff! That’s it! I’ll run and grab one right--”

“My little sunshine, stop worrying.” Soleil looked to her father, but nothing could prepare her for the pain he must’ve felt. He truly looked like hell. Countless scratches covered his body’s front, yet he still held his same bright smile. The armor that withstood so many blows from training had reached its end, now nothing more than torn cloth and broken metal. “Your mother and I are….a lost cause now, my sunshine. Fret not about what will happen to us.”

“Your dad’s right sweetie.” Peri gripped Soleil’s hand as tightly as she could, but Soleil felt no difference. “C’mon. Where’s the….smile we loved to see you with?”

It hurt Soleil to do anything while she watched her parents slowly slip away, but she tried. She could feel a tear fall down her cheek. “L-like this, r-right?”

Laslow gave a weak chuckle. “Picture….perfect, my little sunshine.”

“Mommy and Daddy….promise that we’ll….be there for you, Soleil.”

The tears were coming faster now, and Soleil couldn’t stop them. “But I want to see you always!” She leaned closer to her parents unmoving forms. They still held their smiles despite the immense pain. “I-I can’t just let you guys go!”

“We don’t expect you to, Soleil.” Laslow kissed her head before giving a small reassuring hug. “We’ll….protect you in our own way.”

“Good mommies and daddies….always do!”

Soleil wiped a tear while her parents smiled at her. Their light was slowly fading, and she couldn’t reignite it no matter how much she wished to. “I...I promise I’ll be the daughter you both wished to see grow up.” She forced a smile, and it hurt worse than any cuts she’d received in training.

Laslow and Peri mimicked their daughter’s smile and gripped one hand each. Despite the pain, and the emotional torture they must have felt, they still looked at peace. Laslow smiled. “We know, my love.”

“Go on, little sunshine,” Peri weakly whispered, “Nohr needs….more smiles.”

Soleil held their hands tightly as they spoke. She kneeled in silence, her parents still smiling at her until she felt a weaker grip in her hands. Soleil looked up to her parents and saw their now still forms. No chests rose, and not a sign of warmth came from their mouths. The blue haired girl simply stared for sometime as a flurry of emotion danced in her chest; Anger and rage at the Hoshidans. Sadness and melancholy for being alone. Yet at the same time, she felt empty, like her world was simply a dream. If it was, Soleil dearly hoped she’d wake up soon. She reached out to touch her father’s shield, The shield that had protected Nohr’s crown prince countless times and the coolness of it confirming this was real. The edges were chipped and much of the ornate marks were missing.  _ ‘We’ll protect you in our own way’ _ Tears slowly dripped down her face as Soleil strapped on her father’s shield, her own left in his lap. Her hand brushed a smooth piece of silk. Her mother’s ribbon, once a pure white, was now stained red with blood. Soleil gripped it tightly, watching as her tears fell on it. She remembered how beautiful her mother was with such a small piece of silk. Mother…. Her body looked so peaceful in death, a far cry from what she was like before the war. Before she’d met Soleil’s father.

The young girl carefully held the fragile ribbon as if it was her lifeline. To Soleil, it might as well have been. She gingerly tied the stained ribbon in her hair, trying her best to match her mother’s cute bow she always wore. Tears kept dripping down her face, and despite how much she hurt inside, Soleil tried to smile like her parents wanted her. It was so, so hard, and she simply… couldn’t. Soleil, the sunshine girl who was always a ray of joy in life, couldn’t smile. She gave her parents now still, unmoving bodies one last look before she stood up. “I… I promise I’ll smile for both of you. Maybe not now, but eventually. So just… please protect me.”

Quiet sobs rang in the empty halls for some time. Nohr had never had it’s own warmth, but the day it was invaded, the closest thing to a sun it had had set. Soleil was a joyful girl, always looking towards the future with hope. But with her father’s shield strapped to her shoulder and her mother’s ribbon tied up in her hair, she felt utterly empty. She was alone, with not a soul to give her some warmth.

**Author's Note:**

> Any comments or criticisms are welcome!


End file.
